Bowie, Maryland – Bowie State University has built a $1 million supercomputer in cooperation with Apple Computer, Inc. XSEED is a 224-node cluster based on Apple’s Xserve G5. Running Apple’s Mac OS X Server operating system, each Xserve is equipped with dual 2GHz 64-bit G5 processors and is interconnected with a Myrinet 4 Gbit/sec switch.

The combination of this cutting edge technology places XSEED among the world’s top 100 most powerful supercomputers on the TOP500 list which serves as a benchmark for ranking high-performance computing systems. The supercomputing cluster will enable high-end graphics, animation, and complex computational problems among other capabilities.

The initiative is expected to increase grant opportunities and attract business partnerships. In the near future, Bowie State will generate revenue by selling and negotiating cycle time. President Dr. Calvin Lowe said, “Bowie State University is a place that has outstanding resources and the desire is to give our faculty the resources they need which will allow them to be in the forefront.”

XSEED is an extraordinary resource that will provide a computing environment to enhance teaching, learning, and research at the University. “This is such an exciting opportunity,” says Dr. Diane Krichmar, special assistant to the president and administrative lead for the project. “What’s really amazing is that a school our size would engage in something like this in order to create this sense of excitement.”

XSEED was built by Bowie State computer technology and computer science students under the direction of Prof. Mark Matties and Apple Computer engineers. “We not only conceived of it, but did it,” says Prof. Matties who serves as the technical lead for the supercomputing cluster. “The Model Institutions for Excellence (MIE) program was very instrumental. This was a very labor intensive project and there was no way we could have done it without our students.”

The supercomputing cluster is housed in the Center for Learning and Technology. For more information on the supercomputing cluster, contact Prof. Mark Matties at (301) 860-3974 or via email at mmatties@bowiestate.edu.